Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Annual blog-plug for the greatest Christmas song of all time, Darlene Love's interpretation of the Phil Spector classic. You can find it on You Tube if you type "Darlene Love David Letterman''... Letterman has her on every year to perform it. The words, the emotion, her take all as fresh as the day she recorded it. Anyone who has ever loved and lost and is feeling alone at Christmas -- which is to say all of us, at some point -- will get chills listening to D. Love belt this one... please, please, please, baby please come home... baby please come home. Simple, poignant, beautiful, perfect. Check it out. The 2005 version is especially expressive. (It's also on CD... Phil Spector's Christmas, I think it's called. All girl group, wall-of-sounding Christmas standards. Classic.)
As always, I'll take your suggestions for best Xmas songs as well.
Live merry.
posted by Paul Daugherty at 8:51 AM
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Post a Comment*Agree with you on Darlene Love. Unfortunately her annual appearance is a casualty of the writers' strike. At least we have Youtube.
JB
Not the most manly thing to admit, but the Carpenters Merry Christmas Darling will always top the list for me.
Same Old Lang Syne..Dan Fogelberg
Christmas Shoes...Newsong
Have you heard Death Cab for Cutie's version of that song? It's off of the "Maybe This Christmas Tree" compilation, which features Christmas tunes performed by alt-rock artists. You can find it on itunes. To me this version captures the essence of what the song is about. Check it out!
-Alex Widolff
Still a toss-up between Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" and Elvis' "Blue Christmas" - it depends on my mood...
Mark
Call me a traditionalist, Paul, or a religious fanatic. Whatever. I don't care. But there's no Christmas without this song, candles lit, church choir, and family in the pews. Without it, we might as well just announce "Consumer Day" in July and everyone buys stuff for their family and friends.
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light;
radiant beams from thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
And the best version is that of the church choir nearest you.
It's not the emotion; it's the mystery.
my top 3 favorites:
Tom Petty - Christmas All Over Again
John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over)
Dean Martin - Silver Bells
Merry Christmas Paul! Thanks for another great year of columns :)
Who put the stump (to the melody of who put the bomp) by Bob Rivers about a christmas tree angel rocks:
I'd like to find the guy
Who done me wrong
And stuck my butt up
On this Christmas tree.
Who put the stump
In my rump-ba-bump-ba-bump?
Who took and jammed it
In my ram-a-lam-a-ding dong?
Who stood the wood
Where I poop-she-poop-she-poop?
Who put the stick
Up my hipty-dipty-dip?
Who was that man?
He shoved it up my can
And left me stranded on this Christmas tree. (Yeah ...)
100% concurrence with the Darlene Love sentiments. That tune has been my personal Christmas fave since I first heard it 25 years ago. Death Cab's version is nice, but not as good, while U2's ranks 3rd in the head to head comparison.
For a nice companion piece to Darlene Love, check out "Please Come Home for Christmas" by both Aaron Neville and Etta James. I love those renditions.
Jay Brinker
While I like Christmas carols as much as the next guy, what really gets me is a good Christmas HORROR story.
Here's one from the Enquirer this morning:
Andy Furman rumored as a Burbank replacement.
I absolutely despise Furman's style. And it has nothing to do with you, Doc. I despised Furman long before anyone dreamed of having a sane human replace him.
As a military guy, I could sometimes in strange faraway places pick up nighttime WLW. It was a piece of home when away from home. And sometimes it would be late-evening, phony-indignation Furman.
I'd rather do a 12 mile, 80 pound rucksack march in full MOPP gear, in 20 below weather while hounded by drill sergeants than listen to that guy.
And that's my Christmas Horror Story.
Vince Vance and the Valiants. Version of "All I want for Christmas is you". Good old good one. Gives me chills everytime. You too huh?
Alvin and the Chipmunks
"Christmas don't be late"
They sang their little chipmunk hearts out on that number.
The final "Please, Christmas don't be late..." echoes the yearning of masses of little people waiting for any small crumb of hope in their frantic lives.
I've often wondered if Alvin became an Alcoholic.
Merry Christams Baby by Charles Brown! Put in on with your significant other or the hot chick from work and fireworks shall appear!
Doc-
Lot's of good suggestions.
Although it was just released this year (let's call it an "Instant Classic" like the network boys do), I nominate the most recent cover of "Christmasses When you Were Mine," by Taylor Swift-- who rarely does anyting but her own stuff. One vocalist, one twelve string guitar. If you don't tear up you are not human.
Give her a chance, she is addictive and really talented. Sometimes our kids do know the best music.
...no doubt - my all-time #1 pick: Emmylou Harris (backed by Dolly Parton and Neil Young) "Light in the Stable". This song has no peer.
"Christmastime Is Here" by Vince Guaraldi from "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
This one goes back to the innocence of children as expressed by Charles Schulz so eloquently. Great tune.
Merry Christmas, Paul.
To 1:14-
Swift DID write that song, I've got the CD and it lists (Taylor Swift, Liz Rose, Nathan Chapman) as writers.
Agree that both song and singer are completely mesmerizing
Weird Al Yankovic "Christmas At Ground Zero"
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